Korea under Japanese rule

In this episode, we focus on Korea under Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945, tracing how Japan turned regional influence and military victories into full annexation and then reshaped the Korean Peninsula through political repression, cultural erasure, and economic exploitation. We explore the suppression of Korean language and identity, forced name changes, the destruction of historic sites, and the mobilization of millions for labor and military service during World War II, while also highlighting the resilience of Korean independence movements at home and abroad. The episode closes by examining the lasting legacy of colonial rule and how unresolved issues of wartime atrocities, forced labor, and collaboration still shape historical memory and modern diplomacy today.